Shivers
by Princess Pinky
Summary: Now that Elsa's staying with Emma, her parents, and a newborn, where does she sleep at night?


**A/N:** This takes place between "White Out" and "The Apprentice" because it looks like Elsa is staying in the apartment with Emma and her parents. But for my own sanity, Captain Swan is not a part of this story and never happened.

_**Shivers**_

Elsa poked her head out of the slit in the bathroom door. Her braid toppled over her shoulder and swayed freely.

Emma motioned her hand. "Well, let's see it."

Elsa inched out of the door, her walk oddly bull-legged. Her slender fingers traced the plaid squares on Emma's cotton pajama bottoms; she tugged the fabric at her hips, yanking the elastic waist below her belly button. "They're a little…" she waggled her hips. "…high?"

Emma bit into her lip, trying to avoid looking at Elsa's snowy midriff. "I think they look good. But they are my clothes, so maybe I'm a little bias."

"Maybe I would like to see you in my clothes," Elsa retorted. She turned swiftly to Snow's full length mirror and realized how much of her belly was showing and attempted to yank down the hem of Emma's powder blue night shirt.

Emma slid a hanger into Elsa's dress and lifted it from the bed. Taking a position next to the queen, she held the dress in front of herself and cocked her head to the side. "Can you even dye my eyes to match my gown?"

"I only have ice magic–"

"It was a joke!" Emma laughed. "We'll have to watch _The_ _Wizard of Oz_ one of these nights." She spun and the skirt of the dress flared around her like wings. "For what it's worth, it's a nice getup, but I don't know how you guys wear things like this on a regular basis."

Elsa tugged a little more at the sides of the pajamas. "That makes two of us."

A knock sounded at the door and Emma rolled her eyes. "Are you girls ready for bed?"

"In a minute."

"Do you have everything you need?"

Emma glanced at her guest. "Would you be more comfortable in a nightgown? My mom probably has one you could borrow."

Elsa twirled the end of her braid around her fingers. "No," she said after an earnest consideration, "but thank you."

"You sure?"

Elsa nodded.

"We're fine!" Emma called back. She opened the door a hair and nosed her face through. "But _thank you_."

"Okay," Snow grinned. "I can take a hint. I'll leave you to your little sleepover."

Emma rolled her eyes. "It's not a sleepover."

Snow winked. "It's a sleepover. Sweet dreams!"

Elsa caught only the tips of Snow's fingers as the latter tried to wave to her before the door shut.

"Sorry about that," Emma grumbled. "It's just…complicated."

"I understand." Elsa looked around the small room. "So, where do I sleep?"

Emma motioned to the queen sized bed. "I'll take the couch."

"But…that's one bed."

"You're a guest."

"I can't possibly kick you out of your own sleeping quarters."

"Well…" Emma clicked her tongue to the roof of her mouth. "Fine, you heard my mother: sleepover. We can share." Noting the look in the queen's eyes she added, "If you're not uncomfortable with that."

Elsa maneuvered to the side of the bed and sat down, surprised by the spring in the mattress. She stood and sat, stood and sat, then a small giggle escaped her lips. "Are you sure?"

"I don't know about the customs in your world, but in mine, girls share beds all the time. You'd be surprised how many orphans you can fit on a single cot." Emma rounded the bed and pulled back the covers. "It gets pretty cold at night, so if you need extra blank—" At Elsa's laugh, Emma chuckled too. "Sorry. Forgot who I was talking to for a second."

"It's fine." Elsa slid her legs under the covers and dropped her head to the pillow. Unlike the down pillows she was used to, she didn't feel any feathers poking out from the pillowcases to scrape at the back of her neck.

"'Night."

"Goodnight."

As the hours passed, Elsa remained alert, gazing into the abyss of the ceiling. She felt Emma move with disturbing frequency and at first she tried to ignore it, but gradually she rolled over and began to watch Emma's restless fits. Each time she flipped she took more and more of the blankets, though Elsa didn't mind. When only her knees on down were covered, Elsa sat up and leaned over the fitful blonde, finally noticing the goose flesh speckled across the princess's exposed neck and shoulder blades.

Elsa offered up her hand and slowly a frost leapt from it, growing and growing into a dazzling whirlwind of glittery flakes that domed the bed and grew several inches thick, forming an igloo. Satisfied, Elsa sank back into her now cool spot on the bed and closed her eyes. Half an hour later, just as she was finally nearing sleep herself, she felt a hand rest on the hill of her hip. "Emma?"

Silence, like fresh fallen snow.

Elsa craned her neck to find that Emma was dead to her words, yet in her sleep she had managed to find her way across the bed. The warmth from Emma's hand permeated the cotton pajama bottoms and spread deep into the tissue of Elsa's thigh. She decided to let Emma's hand stay where it was…and soon the rest of Emma's body had joined it.

Elsa felt Emma's chest against her back, her knees curled against the undersides of her legs, and the vapors of Emma's finally relaxed breaths wafting into her neck. Elsa let her shoulders relax, sinking them to Emma's collarbone. The insulation of the igloo had reached nearly ninety degrees, but for the first time, the ice queen felt shivers.


End file.
